About me

I am Felipe Estre, a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Institute of International Relations (IREL), University of Brasília, Brazil. I also serve as a faculty member in the Graduate Program in Security, Development and Defense at the Brazilian School of Defense (Escola Superior de Defesa – ESD). I hold a PhD in International Relations from the University of São Paulo (USP) and King’s College London (KCL), where I developed a comparative and discourse-oriented approach to the study of diplomacy and foreign policy.

My current research examines the impact of the New Right on diplomatic practices, with particular attention to how populist and anti-globalist discourses reshape institutional cultures, professional diplomatic identities, and foreign policy narratives. Situated at the intersection of Foreign Policy Analysis, Diplomatic Studies, and critical approaches to International Relations, my work explores how diplomacy operates not only as a policy instrument but also as a site of myth-making, identity construction, and political contestation.

My broader research agenda focuses on diplomacy, Brazilian foreign policy, populism, and the New Right. I am especially interested in the transformation of diplomatic institutions under conditions of democratic stress, the relationship between nationalism and professional foreign services, and the role of discourse in legitimizing foreign policy choices. Methodologically, I work primarily with qualitative approaches, including discourse analysis and interpretive methods, while engaging with middle-range theory in Foreign Policy Analysis.

I have published in journals such as Third World Quarterly and Conflict, Security & Development, and contributed to edited volumes on populism and Foreign Policy Analysis. Beyond my research, I am actively involved in academic publishing as an editor and reviewer for several International Relations journals. I also engage in public debate through media commentary and policy-oriented writing, contributing to discussions on contemporary diplomacy, Brazilian foreign policy, and global governance.

In addition to my academic work, I have teaching experience in Brazil and the United Kingdom, including at King’s College London, and I collaborate with research and policy networks in Latin America. My work seeks to bridge rigorous academic inquiry with broader public engagement, contributing to both scholarly debates and ongoing conversations about the future of diplomacy in an era of political polarization and global transformation.